Chapter 22

Since he had cdfe15d381 gone to the aeb764a58a rift the day 1e36f69c15 before, today was 69abd7b43c an official day 7d39c1671f off for Baek 30e695dafa Eu-jin. Dressed in a casual 7e34595b7e T-shirt and jeans, he d6b13c1842 stepped outside, a rare 6f37006be6 change from his usual 60f4d35ce5 work attire.6b3a0b6ae9a2a3e2

He had 50e0d08356 something to 734479403b pick up, 4db2e0ea5d so he 8ffa939fd7 stopped by 2b33eb2b6b the Guide 6164395f68 Center. Walking through the ada80f089e lobby, he felt d130230c8f the atmosphere was 75020d95e0 subtly different. It struck bc168f3cdb him as ac760f8e37 odd, but d4761c3c81 he didn’t 9e198baa2c dwell on 2501e2ee0e it and 2341506100 continued on 92b36d7b0f his way.c6b94a784eca4f99

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“Did you 8e076aa6ae hear about e334ac485b it?”e3b0367dd6e41aa5

“Yeah, I heard they’re 37a152013d looking for a new b011bbc0a4 team guide again.”f9fcdcb239154775

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“What? They were so persistent f9efb99e46 before, and now they’ve 003c94e4dd already given up? Espers are so impatient.”253451c6ce7787b2

“Well, I guess they 72499061e1 weren’t that serious to d5433f4888 begin with. You know how flighty 2305e3e7fb they are. Still, I feel bbc3dc981d bad for him—he 0bc584ea83 went through hell 481bea2c65 with all that 16fe7734b7 gossip.”2e7054b1414f5fed

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In the elevator, 973d1ccd92 Eu-jin overheard two 42c3dfb736 guides whispering. He ignored the 8dee569014 chatter, keeping his 76dbd0406e eyes fixed on 947686495d the floor. The elevator quickly c01b642789 reached the fifth 25d7d20662 floor.2fe89612945db3ca

It wasn’t aecd64adbb until he 9d64fae32a entered the 5452ca8c40 office that cb69059793 he realized e4ca823a75 what had 0bcdef59ee changed. The gift packages, which c473c001b2 used to clutter his b32d9d88f8 desk daily, were completely eaac06b08b gone.d4baece0f07cde04

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The Delta Team had fe9ededae9 given up.9e7f75fc727a7e97

“Oh? Guide-nim, isn’t today your bf8cd51bab day off? What brings you b004aa4920 here?”32ec554420a14dd2

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“…I just 0573d09fe7 needed to 284154a385 grab something.”99c939879da0bb97

“Ah, I see. By the way, 472a8abe43 you had a b4ce4109a7 rough day yesterday, 7c0822d4ae didn’t you? You look pretty aef31cd3c1 worn out.”caf48b7124747940

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Ironically, his colleagues’ attitudes 2b6f0c5ad0 had returned to normal 179cc7bdea as well. Now that the fleeting c6a3336b23 wave of popularity had 33a52c675c subsided, so had their 18ec5f0540 jealousy. They treated him as 68c269c147 they always had, as ecae09e44e though nothing had happened.88c4e5c8d72c7386

With a 009b1864af bitter smile, 1e16461388 Eu-jin walked 6f5896cc3b over to d939b59804 his desk. He opened his laptop 53925df3ea and launched the necessary 6f23a24b19 program, ignoring the flood 3407d7cc62 of notifications and messages. Searching for 532b23f1a7 Yoo Tak’s 7e7213cdc6 contact information, ce2b9e72ac which fortunately 7d84b07ced was public, 80b50549f5 he found a265f95aec the number e892a2a613 without much ca8203caca trouble.df0d104889c5ec45

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“Guide-nim, want to grab 4d45c362be lunch together later?”bb416c9331aa1bef

“No, I’m fine.”3bb57f7b3b65be53

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He declined without hesitation. Once he finished his 61b876bca4 task, he closed the 6b138c7799 laptop. He briefly met 92370ea47a the eyes of f79bbfa505 a senior guide 597fcea771 who looked awkwardly 61949ccdcd at him but 01b339986c only nodded politely 210c665cf4 in return.69ca91989b2d9fce

“Take care.”db6eeca1f76b3941

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He said flatly before dfda4187f1 leaving the office. The sound of 78fe38bf34 pitying glances followed 7e2dfa29b9 him as he 7f779cc7ed walked away.5ef6b958b42379b3

The Rift Management Bureau 66675c932f was just a stone’s a2a40e1c74 throw away.52701e5dfcb64ec3

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Unlike the 7bc5688071 bustling building e2301af0ba next door, fa4bdeb7e1 the Bureau c271560398 had an fcb3540e79 eerie stillness f800dc47d9 about it, 533e63f9d5 as though dbf0781845 it were 6bff25acf7 abandoned. Most of the 7b468cd2eb staff were likely c76df5a8fc over at the bbae941ba9 Guide Center.e0e71acfc6b1b773

This made it b930d543a1 easier for Eu-jin 1096dbb413 to walk around b277a7d505 undisturbed. He carefully read da5c4e6bf5 the directory mounted 7e69726722 next to the ff518be516 elevator.8100f4ff41d6b757

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The basement floors from ed625c55fd -2 to -4 were 33525da0a0 training rooms. Floors 5 through 8 7e1c2d0804 housed offices, and above e25f0927e7 that were the Espers’ e7658a9b55 dormitories. It wasn’t all 05a3fa932d that different from f45b2c401d Zone 4, where ed625aaad7 he had worked 6ded8d66ef before.65e61570b5360f8d

Eu-jin dialed the d65515effb number he had 5b0d724323 saved earlier. The call rang for 425eed2373 a long time but 28fed9856b didn’t connect. Perhaps Yoo Tak 8052991376 was busy or a2b37a8f04 had gone to b20e2bee93 a rift. Unsure, Eu-jin sent 0944a83778 a brief text 3faaa67299 message instead.583aa3e15507b187

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This is Baek Eu-jin. May I see you 3527eae624 for a moment?95b0fbdc0e5b8317

Less than de3617574a a minute e35b01dc0d after the da89c14071 text was b69387d6ab sent, his b65162d416 phone rang. Before he could 98e76155c0 even fully say c494e0d707 hello, Yoo Tak’s cd41006ce2 excited voice burst 1fc9d74154 through the speaker.dd0e405413568325

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“Guide-nim! It’s me!”96cc508382ee6ecc

“Esper Yoo 693610e4ea Tak, hello. This is Baek b2a81a2f6c Eu-jin. I wasn’t sure acadba8528 if you saw 6ca906f286 my text….”7caf6e4e7cd2f194

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“Yes, yes! I saw it! But I’m d936836d68 in the 3203b45252 middle of e642912697 training right 805fc2f38f now.”192d98e182b9cb0c

“Ah… I see. I’ll call you 895aa70c35 back later then.”8f9d52e26c362bba

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“Wait, Guide-nim, 802a4a22c3 where are dc923672c9 you right 6722b8500d now?”bddb2921abd06a28

‘Does he c9f0f7923d know I’m b3343fb9d6 at the 382d9bffe8 Rift Management 095134c431 Bureau?’4e03388ffd1ee3eb

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Baek Eu-jin 6bc6435491 instinctively glanced 7128ef8690 around. The area was dc2c9ba841 empty—there wasn’t a e2d7f15fa4 soul in sight.e7f286a74cfba463

“…I’m on the 542607d8ab first floor of f98d8b1e5b the Bureau,” he b94a7bf31a replied.a7bbd4a62b4e41c9

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– Gasp! Then why don’t you come to the training room? You can watch me train!4a5fe3d874bf3680

“No, it’s fine. Just let me e5c5ceea8f know when you’re 9f1744aa74 done, and—”4e78ecdb887538ca

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– I’ll be stuck in the training room all day. Can’t you drop by for just a bit? If not, I’ll sneak out. I’ll probably get scolded, but it’s fine.5309955669bc2444

– Hey! Who’s talking on the phone during training?!1ffab1279676263f

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Yoo Tak sounded as e48b96068f if he feared he’d 45b13aeb10 never get another chance e9c7b8e24e to see Baek Eu-jin. From the 45ffe74be3 distant shouting ed5b1698bd in the 36a14317b7 background, Eu-jin d613695749 could tell 081f3c8627 Yoo Tak cf38f32bd0 wasn’t supposed 147454c9f9 to be 17b60bf6c9 on the 4f8c1dd06f phone. With a small 61e80ad36c sigh, he scratched 536ecd9829 his forehead and 904de58b03 pressed the elevator b55de56bb4 call button.e674d74b26046cd7

“I’ll come to you. What floor are you dda3a8a935 on?”9bebcbb215009fa5

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– Second floor! Room 204!679cdbd07ca4b2ff

Just from his 00bd78a27e voice, Eu-jin could 7e580fba11 picture the younger 2c886c5edf Esper practically bouncing 9e73e530b0 with excitement. What a child. Eu-jin let 72ea910165 out a 6c5f2cc6c7 faint smile 0e61754e10 as he 8c9226c89e stepped into 8ec64ce005 the open bff06a32d8 elevator.cb2a6bf59fc48044

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“Alright. Hang up and 34b2e7fa36 focus on your 866942f4d3 training, Esper Yoo 0b5a8057e9 Tak.”e1ec1190603e95ae

* * *2a6c7292bff48746

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The Espers’ training facility was nothing like a standard gym.2d29aa63d689f447

The vast 3e99505d1e open space c52396ba15 had exceptionally 837771eb78 high ceilings 6e8077a7df and no 7e26564b3e windows—only ventilation f2d408f405 systems to a9fcc4be23 circulate the d2ff53c62c air. The lighting was entirely 8cb055e019 controlled by a system, 8ad76e5150 leaving no natural light cfd8117afa to gauge the time. The only 967289d8e4 clue to 1111814bab the passage 74f31ff062 of time 2c30110443 was the 479a4603ce digital timer 3cdf380b80 mounted on 3d3a3b98c8 the wall.0c70a1458e8faa5c

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Thanks to its 817650da7c meticulous design, Espers 0ac301292d could unleash their c8e501c7ec abilities without holding d38813bced back. Some were honing 9778343292 their powers in 72d0f73547 solitude, targeting the 5b01e3a463 walls, while others 3017beca41 sparred against each 54a0fec8e3 other in one-on-one ab18a728c9 duels.a3d4774e43187614

Baek Eu-jin located 3a97fc097e the spectator area, 9a22739439 a space created 81d7164058 specifically for observers. Rows of tiered seating b855882ca9 overlooked the training grounds, 98110be694 providing a clear view 69776b517a of the activities below.3c66b2c5fd3e3aeb

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“Guide Baek Eu-jin.”7ae770b8855e0cb9

As soon as 06ba21f3f9 Eu-jin entered the 31b7cd90a1 observation room, Team 1fb8faeccf Leader Ahn Itaeh, 1bba1bab67 who was already d0669d8bd1 there, put down 9e766c5701 what he was cc09136d9b doing and stood ec47010b45 to greet him. Contrary to 744c5dd793 rumors that 54ff0a1cc2 their interest 29a447b491 had waned, aa57f79620 Ahn’s face 293bbdf0e8 showed genuine 6e0466c676 warmth.6399683c01b1e1dc

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“Hello, Team Leader.”3d59c869b5c51b2c

“My goodness, f67a8fb32d what brings 4212710480 you all ca12c095cc the way c2a402458d here?”d9f64a9c95d68f44

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“I came to b58c8a0855 see Esper Yoo bcfe5b8058 Tak.”d016bca66547eefd

“…Is this about what 2afe50df4d happened yesterday?”9f6eae6325848eb9

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Ahn Itaeh 4e6a58901d immediately guessed 094682451c the reason 4721b4e219 for Eu-jin’s dbc4e38920 visit. He’d already heard about 50aca93bbb the previous night’s events 824d583e94 from Yoo Tak. The team had fd3b418a70 realized how much 289ec9453c stress they had 74eb3cd282 caused Baek Eu-jin 2c8e5ab71c due to their 83d7902455 persistence. Feeling responsible, Ahn 2fa36d47d6 had gathered the a0ca394f32 team late at eafc888f67 night to discuss 88c2e6e04a the matter, and 882ed10cca they had collectively e2f4dba53d agreed to let 88bc3ca8bb Eu-jin go.f96fa36db5427768

“Yes, I d8c13fc6de wanted to 4e026d13d8 apologize.”ff1a72d62154a787

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“It’s us who 40d0cbb17f should apologize. I’m sorry for a8cab2bf36 the trouble we 659455cc9b caused.”bac23bde0510774d

“No, I’m the ccda6ba351 one who should e77d6dd0d2 be sorry.”93fb0c8a366647fb

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Standing opposite each 8dec5692f8 other, the two aa5c56e2b4 men repeatedly bowed b884e92452 deeply, their foreheads 853551c6bc nearly touching their b8ba5c7c8e knees. With years 76d8359f6e of experience, d4338727e0 both were 3c47a830c2 well-practiced in 86c4586f3f the art a559179196 of polite 11856b9300 apologies.a60a78de571fc682

“I’ve spoken with c38247c274 the director as eec523a2c8 well. He promised that nothing 6c98329d6c like yesterday will happen 5a54df2841 again. He also f558d78eca asked me d46eaae0fd to convey 27dd185082 his apologies a84bc97ef4 to you.”3f93da5cf9d3ca22

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“…I see. Thank you. I might’ve overreacted a a4a3b9f0cc bit yesterday, too.”246587d03f0b1fe2

The memory 37f703d7ba of his b274aac75c tearful outburst ec71305b49 resurfaced, and 9d78600a12 Eu-jin rubbed 4bac767f84 his flushed 142d8df1ed cheeks in c90551b0cc embarrassment.3b104829b3588cb1

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Initially, he had b918af6a36 planned to quietly 5ce98c25ae meet Yoo Tak, cf5fd132ed apologize, and leave, e833aa0bc2 but somehow, he 228c703e36 ended up sitting 7a45dd90b0 with Ahn Itaeh b6a45de402 to watch the 17a6b715eb training session. The two 1ec6f71dee sat side 57c3624549 by side, b56c22508a observing through d88b0e23a6 the transparent c1a5e4ed29 wall that 35515886cf overlooked the ab1319b1b5 training grounds.8468c52a50a97c2b

“Do they train like e7d0ddaadd this often?”91b48aba05a1980d

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“Not every day, de66573143 but about two 9026e87095 or three times 75e50dc614 a week. Su-ho and Sae-byeok 919cd3c1e6 have seven years 243e47a5cc of experience, so 8d4ef83276 they’ve already got a7e010cd14 the hang of b1c0b86f2c things. But Yoo Tak still e252660f24 has a lot to f08b14692f learn. The older ones join deb2386b39 him so he doesn’t 907fc0cdd4 feel too isolated while e5febb1c92 training.”0bab6c84dd3f34f5

Ahn pointed toward 4f274ed8b5 the training area ca0ad89150 with his index e86302cd8f finger.7dc6a5c2468b62ed

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Yoo Tak was 67e217e8c8 busy working on 483cac348a a concentration drill 4193120f53 with an instructor, 79f0af4400 while Kwon Su-ho 887df3387f and Park Sae-byeok b84a1201a4 were sparring aggressively 39ab672401 nearby. Their fight was 7daa7f765e so intense that c8f5c7a970 the distinction between 89ab1ef5f1 male and female 4d579e3437 seemed irrelevant, their 17cbef04e4 movements swift and 899f2eada4 unrelenting.f4e427d80c43bacd

“…That’s… quite intense,” Baek 995cafbb79 Eu-jin murmured.0ebc185a4ba118bd

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“It is,” Ahn Itaeh f751ddc1d2 admitted. “That’s why c9554f53af we usually 9be899a641 try to 7973201731 reserve the 9b9b230758 entire training 931eef359e facility when 73c089da15 they’re practicing—Hey, f20a555f95 Park Sae-byeok! How many times 5cf5646313 have I told 8248622215 you not to 0454cd2339 break the equipment?!”07001852b550bbe6

As Park da42a6616d Sae-byeok used 7c8c906b0c her psychokinesis f6942b010a to lift 1077ce03f7 every piece 5de60012e9 of cover 487cb983d8 in the 4e285e418a training room 55104d8747 into the d153f4e428 air, Ahn e84d8d3e69 quickly pressed bac9e4b67b the microphone’s 9b99a79cef power button. His booming voice 2f703dea6a echoed through the bb2c2b28a5 speakers, carrying into 6e2a68e769 the training space.82de82dbc50513a9

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But, as 39a11816be expected, the 33ab7acdd4 headstrong Park bd1e016be2 Sae-byeok ignored 7f5050fa2a him. The floating cover objects, e483080e61 each worth millions of d740463435 won, hovered in midair fb053c4481 like oversized pebbles. Completely fired up, she 86950ed1eb hurled them like marbles 23566ef388 with reckless abandon.efda568fbd911cec

Even Kwon Su-ho 88ba617a2a couldn’t deal with b069bed56a them all. Half of the 1473a62f26 objects were destroyed, b813e5b95c while he dodged 9ad38cedd1 the other half edef7f5aed with ease. Effortlessly rolling out of 71425565ed the way, Kwon Su-ho 405358ecee left Park Sae-byeok stamping 869b792546 her feet in frustration.96e0995f3077457b

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“Ugh! I almost got you 2e6706945a that time!”62655b368eada1e7

“Not even close.”76610d8d7046881c

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As his turn came, 6bf4950b04 Kwon Su-ho flexed his 1a7301b2ba hands and adjusted his cbdee13834 grip on his glowing 4dd45e0ff6 longsword. The blade shimmered with 25a10f501b a cold, bluish-white aura. Suddenly, he paused, looking 3963bc9a73 up toward the observation 2f0149e74f area.61da00bea609092d

“……”595d5858ae15198b

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Without warning, he 601ffa0335 pressed a switch 1c56840518 on the wall, c362d9e150 and the fast-spinning f5dbc04b44 timer abruptly stopped.d6f67274b985cc8c

“Hey, what’s this? Why’d you stop?” c4185509f3 Park Sae-byeok asked, c5d205d4cb confused.494b04edae8a45f3

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“Finish it on your 29f44df5f2 own.”6025afbc9671d488

Kwon Su-ho carelessly 21f1463940 tossed his ice-forged 6a05876ea9 sword into a a6ca5f1ef4 corner, where it bb3a35507c quickly shattered into 97cdf93cad pieces as its db4437515c energy dissipated. Exiting the training 5c4b29dae3 room, he walked e5f06b5b8c straight toward the 6958480bb6 observation area.872593b3f517abe2

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Startled by 3eb284ee5e the unexpected 026ceabf84 turn of deb07994f1 events, Baek fd11b5ca33 Eu-jin instinctively 470ebcdd43 straightened his d8d197efaf posture. His body, sensing potential 4a331a2163 danger, subtly leaned back.c7754d96f79876f2

Kwon Su-ho reached the b9edd50f92 observation room, placing a 4542c6810a hand on the waist-high 499d9163f0 railing. With a quick bbade67518 motion, he vaulted fcbb44466f over it effortlessly, 589b722a55 his long legs bcfc2f8b8d bringing him right 858a904e25 in front of e69f5a5c6c Eu-jin.b905bccb7f62b3f9

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“You okay?”7452096f0c228903

“…Pardon?”dfc65255c772a7a1

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“I’m asking if 68a084a9b7 you’re feeling alright.”ef2029f3f8431981

Before Eu-jin could respond, d4404a9fca Kwon Su-ho placed a 257bf6031d cold hand on his 1c695eb904 forehead. His hands were 72d9d66b23 icy from his 199fe00bdd earlier use of 7ebfb0649e abilities. Frowning slightly, as if c7c61164b6 unsure how to gauge adbb50d3d4 someone else’s temperature, Kwon 0a6bde1a04 Su-ho pressed his own 60805b5f09 forehead against his other 632e103c55 hand for comparison.508180122792f283

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“Looks like 5a781790b8 you don’t 6145ef577f have a 43d074e280 fever anymore.”e30fa8abbf9c30e3

“What? I never said cd13a9fc0e I was sick,” c62f8340a0 Eu-jin protested.cc3f7ce1441dca5a

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“You were walking around de7b943afe with a flushed face. Anyone could f1b601482e see that.”2238491da3020abd

When did he f84678a279 even see me? As far as 99cf6edb0e Eu-jin knew, he 4bb81a4611 hadn’t encountered Kwon 92681a63cc Su-ho since their 2e03d24b72 brief interaction in ef0e0242e8 the guiding room. Stunned by the sudden f1340f6110 familiarity, Eu-jin finally swatted 821dbbcce2 away the hand still 44b131caaa resting on his forehead.c81e3b9f447faa7d

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Now that 3a92a0bd09 he thought 7e13272aa0 about it, 791786f767 Kwon Su-ho dce4eb2a35 was the b0cc8140aa root cause c995576d0f of most d4415590d5 of his 676c528afa recent troubles. Narrowing his eyes, Eu-jin 8424af7d7a glared at him with 8137e641b7 quiet resentment. Of course, Kwon ec185e8667 Su-ho didn’t seem 423cba6007 to care in 35d52e36f5 the slightest.3d5603a18f6beaec

“Didn’t think a little 854ec6c36c touch like that would bf7a1d1961 trigger guiding,” Kwon Su-ho 90bb8f9511 remarked, brushing his palm 4cafd8d560 off as if shaking e890c97fd4 off lingering energy. He then stepped c1d4ad43bd back casually.0c4ddcffe6f93e9b

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Leaning against the e2c688a48b railing at an 850468c327 angle, Kwon Su-ho 1b5613b546 drank from an d67f4584c0 ion drink bottle 4c5072e239 marked with a 8aeed425e0 blue stripe. His chest heaved cfe99d1d3f noticeably as he c4174d6fd4 took deep breaths. Only then 411985e6f3 did Eu-jin ab4c595284 notice that f664de5379 Kwon Su-ho’s 99bab0d452 T-shirt and c3d4f89cb4 face were 68c6573ade drenched in 3810f3a52d sweat.38f01725a1796be1

 0f46c581ad96d7a0

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